


Finding Momma

by duckydotducky



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bittybones, Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Other tags may be added, Pet Abuse, Reader Is Not Frisk, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2018-08-09 00:36:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7780099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duckydotducky/pseuds/duckydotducky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You find a Brassberry and decide to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Among Trash

**Author's Note:**

> This was posted originally on my Tumblr and now I'm moving it over here. It originally was going to be a single, two chapter fic, but I'm thinking about making it longer or a series. Please understand this entire fic is written exclusively on my phone, and therefore may have some errors.
> 
> Bittybones au is fuckin-crybaby's brain child  
> Brassberry belongs to amazolie
> 
> Chapter two will post tonight as a sort of celebration of me getting an ao3 account.

She was going to come back. He knew she was. She said she was going to. It had only been two days. 

He was a very bad bitty. He was out here because of that. It was his fault he woke her up again, over something so stupid as a nightmare. She yelled at him before grabbing him and stuffing him in a cereal box. She got into her car and drove to the middle of town, tossing the box in an alley. 

“Once you learn your lesson I may come back, you little piece of shit,” she had shouted after the box, getting into her car and driving off. He had cried after her, begging her not to leave him, but she didn’t come back. So he waited, small arms holding tight to small legs. She was going to come back. She said she was going to. 

~~~~~~

Five days later and she still hadn’t come back. He was so hungry. He didn’t dare leave the alley because she could come back at any minute. The trashcans in his vicinity provided much to be wanted for. He was getting tired of picking mold off his food and drinking questionable water. His head itched. Sometimes small flies would circle him and try to land on him. He spent most of his time hiding in the box and thinking about everything he did wrong. 

On the sixth night, it rained hard. His box collapsed on top of him, leaving him soaked to the bone and homeless. He hid under a trash bag next to one of the cans. The flies flew closer now, and there were more of them. They landed on his head and tried to attack the rotting wound beneath his bandage. 

For the first time since she left him, he cried. He sobbed and begged for her to come back. He promised over and over that he would be good. No one heard him over the pounding rain and the bustle of the city. 

By the seventh day, he was unconscious. Before his eye sockets closed he wished he could apologize to his momma before he turned to dust. Now he never would be able to.

~~~~~~

You see the small body as you pass the alley on your way to the bus station. You stop and turn. The alley is dark and still wet from the rain the night before. It smells like rotting fruit and wet garbage. You gently scoop up the small body. 

He looks horrible. His clothes are still wet and hang from his dingy bones in limp sheds. He is covered bruises, scratches, and cracks. Flies attack the festering wound on his head, eating at the exposed areas not covered by the dirty bandage. 

You shoo the flies away and curl your hands around him, trying to prevent any more damage to the fragile body. The bitty shelter you volunteer at is only little over a block away, so you start walking. You can wait for the next bus. 

The shelter reminds you of a cross between an animal shelter and a homeless shelter. Up front is a small office where people can apply for access to adopt a bitty. Most bitties that come to the shelter are abuse victims or abandoned. To adopt, you have to pass a background check and provide references for the shelter to call to prove your character. It isn’t a perfect system and it causes the shelter to get crowded at times, but the staff want what’s best for the small monsters. 

Past the front area is a hallway that leads to three rooms. On the left is the main living area for the bitties. Several doll houses line the room, decorated with various small furnishings. Piles of blankets dot the floor, along with soft small stuffed animals. The door is split, making it so the top could open and viewers could look in without letting the eager bitties out. 

Across the hall is the kitchen. It is a normal looking kitchen with two fridges, a table and four chairs, and an oven. Here the small monsters’ food will be prepared and dished out in clear custard dishes. The fridge is stocked with all sorts of fresh produce, along with the additional treat. Ketchup and mustard are a must. 

At the end of the hall is what serves as the hospital. A large metal examining table is in the middle. Against one side of the wall is a row of cages. The cages are lined with soft blankets and each one has a small box inside for privacy. A counter to the side holds various medical equipment, along with a sink and cupboards for more supplies. 

This is the room you head to as soon as you get in the front door and announce you have a bitty in bad shape. The man who serves as the shelter’s “vet” is already in the room, examining a Sansy. His name is Robert, and he’s got kind eyes and a steady set of hands. He’s old enough that you could consider him your father. 

He sets the Sansy in one of the cages and you notice a cast on the poor thing’s arm. You flash him a reassuring smile, and he tries to smile back, but deflates and goes into the box. 

“What do we have here?” Robert’s voice snaps you out of your thought about the Sansy. You gently set down the limp body and cringe. Under the medical lights, he looks even worse.

Robert clicks his tongue unhappily and grabs a pair of scissors and some tweezers. He cuts the ragged clothes off the skeleton and then peels up the bandage on his head with the tweezers. 

The smell that comes from the wound almost makes you gag. It’s a strong infected and rotting smell. The wound itself doesn’t look any better. It’s clearly infected and you worry about the flies and if they laid eggs yet. The last thing the bitty needs is a maggot hatching in his skull. 

Robert wastes no time. He’s already scraping out as much infection as he can, flooding the area with disinfectant. You help quietly however you can. He pulls out two small white specks and you hope it’s rice from the trash, but you know better. You know the odds of them being maggot eggs are high. 

The wound is clean now Robert puts a fresh dressing on it, complete with an extra splash of disinfectant. Together you dress the small body in a cotton gown, which goes down to his knees. You wrap him in the softest blanket you can find and put him in one of the cages with a heating pad. Before you close the cage door, you rub your finger against his small cheek, and whisper soft words of reassurance. 

Robert pats you on the back and tells you good job for saving the small monster. You shrug. He’s not out of the woods yet and you know that. Before you leave, you peak you head into the bitty room and say hello. A chorus of “hello"s and “hi"s follow and you laugh a little. The bitties love when you come and play with them, and it helps you too by distracting you from your depression. You tell them you can’t stay and they pout a little, but wish you well. 

You decide to walk home instead of waiting for a bus. It’s a long walk, but you enjoy it as an opportunity to clear your head. You wish you said goodbye to the bitty with the head wound. You worry that on your next volunteer day he won’t be there. You worry even more that he’ll be dust by the end of the night.


	2. Food Heals All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get some time to help the bitty you found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank each and every one of you for the outpouring of love I've already received. It's been literally years since I've had such a response.
> 
> Few notes about this chapter: I image along side with momma cry's shelter, there are other shelters that also take in bitties. I've kinda already hinted at this, but I feel like I should note that. 
> 
> I will try to keep the reader completely genderless. I also have this thing about "y/n" that drives me nutty, so you won't see that either. 
> 
> I am trying to use tense shifts to tell the story uniquely. Brassberry's memories/perspective will always be past tense and at the beginning of the chapter, and your perspective will be present tense. I feel like this gives it a more "in the moment" feel. Let me know if it bugs you. 
> 
> As always, please let me know of major typos or bad grammar. I do this on my phone and I am my own proof reader, so there's bound to be issues. I usually wait a day after finishing the chapter to proof read it, but there's so many people who seem to like this story that I couldn't torture you with waiting. ;)

Sometimes his momma hurt him. She told him he deserved it and after a while, he started to agree. She would yell at him if he was acting too clingy. She occasionally took a toothpick and poked it in his head wound. It hurt like hell and it would leave him weak and sick all day, but she never did it hard enough to kill him. 

The worst punishment was the cage. It was small and cramped. She left the cage in a dark closet. The cage had no padding or blankets and she would usually take his jacket. He could never tell how long she left him in there, and by the time she let him out he would be shivering and starving. 

She still loved him though. She explained to him that sometimes he made her do things she didn't want to do because he was bad, but she still loved him. She said it hurt her to punish him and he apologized over and over for hurting her. 

It was his fault she wasn't happy. Sometimes he wondered why she took him in. He didn't deserve her. He did what he could to make things easier for her. He didn't bother her when he was so lonely to the point his soul hurt. He tried not to wake her when maggots attacked him in his dreams. He never complained about being hungry or cold anymore, and he apologized for everything, even if he didn't do it. 

The nightmare the night she threw him away was too much for him to handle. He watched her DIE. He couldn't take it, he had to make sure she was alright. He shouldn't have woken her up, he should have apologized more.

~~~~~~  
When he wakes up, he notices how warm he is. There's heat radiating from under him, and the blankets are so soft he could melt. He lets out a soft groan, keeping his eyes closed and squirming deeper into the bundle. He lets the darkness take over again, and goes back to sleep. 

~~~~~~  
You receive a text after work from Robert. Your heart stops and you are afraid to open it. You take a deep breath and click open the message. 

Robert from Bitty Hearts:  
the bitty you brought in is awake. he's not talking or eating, but his wound looks better. 

You sigh in relief, but you still are worried about him. You quickly send a text back. 

You:  
anything I can do?

Robert from Bitty Hearts:  
he should be fine. see you tomorrow. 

You head home, trusting Robert's decision. 

~~~~~  
The next morning you wake up early to go to the shelter. It's your day off and you like helping feed the bitties in the morning. Nothing is better then watching several sleepy skeletons fall asleep while eating. It never fails to make you smile. 

You join the other volunteers in making the small breakfasts. Each bitty gets a specialized meal based on their likes and needs. Baby Blue bitties get fresh fruit, while their almost exact match, Sansy bitties get eggs covered in ketchup. There's more ketchup in the building than you'd care to look for. 

You prepare each dish happily and help the other volunteers load up the trays. Robert has asked you to feed the bitties in the cages, and you take your tray back to the medical room. Only three cages are filled today. You slip a dish into the first cage, only to get a growl from the bitty in the back. It looks like a Edgy bitty, but you're not willing to risk your fingers to find out. 

The second cage contains the Sansy bitty from yesterday. His arm seems to be bothering him, but he's leaving his cast alone. His mood shifts when you set down the dish in his cage. 

"That all for me?" He eyes the heap of ketchup with a hungry suspicion. You figure he's new here and nod your head. 

"I don't like ketchup, enjoy buddy. All yours, but eat the eggs too. You need the energy to heal," you smile and close the cage door. His eyes sparkle and the next thing you know, he's literally shoving his entire face in the dish. You choke back the laughter and move to the last cage. 

He still looks horrible. He looks sickly yellow in the light, and he's still smudged with dirt and street grime. His eyes are open a crack, but they're distant. His breathing is shallow and quiet. 

You set down the tray and grab the eye dropper next to the dish. This bitty is on a special diet of pureed raw beef mixed with beef broth and a variation of pain medicine, supplements and antibiotics. You fill the dropper with the mixture and reach in, gently scooping up the blanket and bitty. 

He doesn't fight you, not even when you slip the dropper past his teeth and drip the liquid in his mouth. He responds well to the food, allowing himself to be fed, while looking up with those distant eyes. He seems to brighten up a bit at the food and one hand slips out of the blanket to greedily hold the eye dropper. You only stop to refill, and soon the dish is gone and he gives a very quiet satisfied sigh. 

You take this opportunity to clean him up better with a very soft washcloth and water. the grime quickly stains the cloth, but that doesn't concern you. You check his small body for cracks or other wounds and are pleased to see he's mostly ok. He has some areas where his bone is thin, but a good diet will fix those. Exam and cleaning over, you slide him back into the cage. He sighs again and shifts closer to the heating pad. 

The rest of the day goes fast. You stop and feed him small meals twice more. Each time he sighs like it's the best thing that's happened to him. You laugh and stroke his skull gently with your fingers. Your actions earn you more sighs that almost sound like soft purring. His eyes are still vacant, but he's slowly moving more. 

Robert informs you that he's a Brassberry bitty. He says he's a more rare type of bitty who forms a very strong soul bond with his owner. Robert expresses his concern about this, saying that if the owner isn't found or is unfit and Brassberry is separated, there's a very high chance of him falling down. 

You surprise yourself by crying. You cry every single time a bitty falls in the shelter. (it doesn't happen too much, but you remember a time when the sweetest Baby Blue fell. You cried for at least a week.)

Robert attempts to calm you down by giving you a job. He wants you to bond with the Brassberry. He says it's ultimately up to the bitty if a bond is made, but trying couldn't hurt. He also says that the shelter will try and find his owner and determine if Brassberry is just a lost bitty, or an abuse case. 

You feel better with your job. You and Robert clean his wound with minimal fussing from the bundled up bitty, and when it's over you give a soft kiss to the opposite side of his skull. Robert nods in approval. You try to spend the rest of day in the same room as him.

As you are getting ready to leave for the day, you feel his eyes follow you. You open the cage and pet his head until you hear the soft purring sighs. His eyes close and he leans into your touch. 

"I'll be back tomorrow after work," you whisper to him, ending your bonding session with a kiss. His eyes stay closed, and quiet snores fill the room. 

In hindsight, you probably shouldn't have stayed the entire day at the at the shelter. Your apartment is trashed and you're too tired to cook or clean. You toss a couple of corn dogs in the microwave, scarf them down, and pass out on your futon/bed combo. 

Your dreams are plagued by dust.


	3. Shelter Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You spend time bonding with Brassberry in the shelter while you wait for his momma to come back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone for the support I've received over the last few weeks. I'm finally feeling better and my illness might actually be caused by extremely bad migraines instead of what we originally thought. Which is fine. I just hope it's almost over and I can find what I need to take in order to function.
> 
> That said, thank you for being so understanding. I rushed this chapter through my reviewing process because I want it out (and to move onto the ANGST HAHAHA) 
> 
> We only have 2 more chapters plus an epilogue of this story left and then onto the next. Thank you for sticking with me!
> 
> If you notice any misspellings or bad grammar, please let me know and I'll fix it!

There was a time when he didn't have to get punished. It was right after she got him and before she realized how bad he was. She bought him online and his nerves almost killed him while he sat in the box during the delivery process. When she first opened the box, the smile on her face made him melt. He knew she was his new momma, even then. They bonded within a day. 

She loved kissing him and he loved her kisses. She bought him huge, tender steaks and delicious treats. She even spent a good portion of her day talking to him and getting to know him. She was the best momma he could ever want, no matter what. 

Even when she slammed her hand down on him so hard, he thought he'd break. Even when she screamed at him for speaking. Even when she forgot his head wound for days. Even when she left him to fend for himself in the house while she locked herself up in her room. She was the best momma. 

His memories quickly melted away as he tasted the familiar tang of raw meat. It was the wrong consistency, but he didn't care and gulped down everything that was put in his mouth. His pain ebbed away, and he was gently rubbed down. Momma was back, and she was fixing him up. Momma forgave him. He was happy. 

Warmth. Food. Soft strokes. Kind words. Kisses. Momma. 

Momma was back and he'd be ok. He opened his eyes to see her but was met with darkness and cage bars. Not the cage!

Momma didn't forgive him. He couldn't stop the screams that ripped from his throat. 

~~~~~~  
Robert keeps you informed about the Brassberry though out the day with texts. You receive some worrying ones, but he assures you things will be fine. You still are worried though, and make a mental note to pick up something nice for the bitty before you get to the shelter.

Normally after work, you'd go home and lay around. Now, you had an actual reason to get out and do things. You go to a special bakery and pick up a gourmet cupcake. You almost run to the shelter in excitement.

When you get there, you take no time to head to the back. Robert's texts told you he wouldn't be in a cage (they found him curled up in a ball sobbing and apologizing when they got in that morning) but rather in a cardboard box on the counter. You peak in and he glares up at you. Next to him is a dish of untouched food. You smile gently at him.

"How are you?" You ask, setting your bags down. You open the one containing the cupcake and set it next to the box.

He glares daggers at you. "Where's my momma? I want my momma." You knew this question was coming (yet another text from Robert told you so) and you keep your smile.

"We're working on finding her, but in the mean time, I think you should stay here so we can get you fixed up as good as new. Then when your momma comes to get you, you two can go back to the way things were," This is a lie and you know it. You know that if his momma does come back, she will be arrested. You know that 'The way things were' was never a good thing. You also did some research last night on Brassberry bitties, and you know that even if things were bad at home, he needs the reassurance now more than ever.

"OK..." He sounds unsure, but he visibly relaxes a bit. You figure now is as good as a time as ever, and open the cupcake container before putting it in the box.

"I heard from the other volunteers that you weren't really touching the food they gave you, so I figured I'd see if this appealed to you more," you say, scooting over a chair to sit and watch him. He looks at you suspiciously before glancing at the cupcake. He tries to hide the surprised look on his face as he wipes at the beads of drool forming.

"I'm not eating this because I'm hungry," he glares at you, but the look is empty. "It would be a shame if it goes to waste." And before you know it, he's shoving his hand into the treat, grabbing a chunk of cake and frosting. It disappears in his mouth and his eyes close in clear pleasure.

"Yeah, and it would go to waste, I don't like vanilla bean frosting," you choke back giggles. He looks up at you with a surprised look, then shrugs, and goes back to destroying the cupcake. 

You sit there in silence until he's done eating. Then you grab the appropriate materials to clean his head wound. "I need to clean your wound. It's not up for discussion on IF it happens, but if you want someone else to do it, we can do that too."

He shrugs again, this time shying away from you a bit. "I want my momma to do it," he mutters. Your silent look of 'sorry, not happening' causes him to continue. "But I guess you'll do for now."

The process is fast and he does really good keeping still. You can tell it causes him a great deal of pain though, so you gently flood the area with a topical pain killer, and offer him a crushed up pill mixed with water. He gulps it down after he watches you take one of the whole pills. You finish off your work with a small round bandaid, this one with a skull and cross bones printed on the plastic. You let him admire your handy work in an examining mirror. He seems delighted by the bandaid's print.

"You have some skull in healing," he comments, mostly to himself, but you hear and you burst into laughter. He looks surprised by the laugh, but his small mouth turns up into a grin. 

You spend the rest of the day talking. You find out that his favorite color is yellow (it reminds him of happiness) and he loves the winter (he mentions something about hot chocolate and blankets) and he spends a lot of time reading. You relay your own favorites and express your love for reading, though most times it's writing on the internet.

He talks a lot about his momma. He talks about her appearance, her voice, and her love for him. He sounds sad, and sometimes slips up and starts sentences off with "if I wasn't so bad all the time" or "I should have been a better bitty". You try to redirect him into better things to talk about, like his favorite books, or what kind of food he likes. In the end, you leave the shelter wishing you could take him with you, and he watches you leave with a longing look that makes you wonder if he felt the same.

~~~~~~  
Over the next several days, you visit and bring him gifts. He stares at the studded jacket you bring him in awe, and hugs it to himself before pulling it on. He thanks you over and over, and even eats all his meal with little prompting from you.

The next gift is a bitty treat called "Hax Snax". On the packaging, it says it's a jerky made especially for Brassberry and Yanyan bitties. You shrug and buy it. When you give him a piece, he pops it in his mouth and chews slowly.

"You know this is human meat right?" He eyes you suspiciously. You turn the package over and read it. Yup, sure is human. Laboratory grown human flesh and muscle, but still human. Weird. You shrug.

"You don't like it?" You ask, reading the package more. You probably should have done that sooner.

"I fucking love it. Are... are you ok with it?" He looks hopeful, but scared. Again, you shrug. 

"As long as you don't go eating actual humans, I don't care," You hand him another piece and he accepts it.

"No promises," but he's smiling and winking.

After the human jerky incident, you play it safe and buy him snarky bandaids. They're a bit expensive, but it's worth it to see his reaction when reading them before you put them on him. His favorite happen to be the ones that say "Go and buy a personality" and "I'm either cranky or dead, and I ain't dead". He handles each gently as he picks them out and hands them to you.

The last gift you give him makes him cry. He doesn't just tear up, he actually sobs. Of course it's the most expensive and you are worried he won't like it, but when he opens the box and pulls it out, he crumples into a heap of sobs and thank yous.

You almost passed up the bitty sized trombone several times, but from the way he grips it and the way he stares, you know you made the right choice. Once his tears stop, he looks up at you with the biggest grin on his face. The rest of the day is plagued by him honking the instrument whenever Robert walks by, resulting in hysterical laughter from all involved. Even a sick Edgy is laughing by the end of the honking. Before you leave, he thanks you again. 

"How did you know?" He asks quietly. You smile.

"I dunno, I just knew? Seems like something you'd like." As you leave, you hear him play you out. You do a goofy dance to the song he plays until you're out of the medical area. His laughter rings down the hallway after you.

~~~~~~  
Things don't last, however. Something in Brassberry shifts over the next several days, and one day, while you're at work, you receive a text that makes you want to cry.

Robert from Bitty Hearts: Brass might fall soon. Get here when you can.


	4. Grief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grief is hard when you watch a friend die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Sorry for the huge delay. I've been working my ass off at work and then I had to go to the doctor yet again. Also been dealing with my emotional health and taking a step back to take care of myself. It's hard but I'm getting there. Last reason why this is late is writer's block. I've got another bittybone story brewing in my head and it's mostly all I can think about. I need to finish this one first though, it's almost a year old >_>

Grief tends to show itself in 5 ways. You go into denial a soon as you receive the text. You're in denial as you go to your boss and request that to go home early. (you use the excuse that a friend is sick and needs your help. It's not exactly a lie.) You're in denial as you sit on the bus to get to the adoption center. He was fine a few days ago. He was happy a few days ago. Things were looking up, you and Robert were even talking about putting him up for adoption and moving him in with the other bitties!

Denial follows you through the door and into the back. You find him in his box. He's sickeningly still, bones slick with sweat. The only moving in the box is his quiet breathing. You start crying.

Bargining takes place next. You pull a chair over and sit down, gently stroking his small skull.

"Hey buddy... It's me... You can get through this, I know you can... Please, I'll do anything. I'll give you as many sweets as you can handle, I'll buy you a new shiny trombone, even better than the one I got you. You know that they make them in different colors? I'll get you all sorts of clothes, I'll even learn how to knit and sew, I'll make you anything." The tears are coming faster now and you can barely talk between your sobs.

"Please don't go... Please.. You're really cool and funny. I love it when you toot when anyone walks, I love it when you tell horrible jokes, I don't even mind the dead baby jokes! You can have as much human jerky as I can buy... please! Please.... I'll adopt you.... Please.... if you make it I'll adopt you...."

Robert comes in and watches silently. Finally he speaks up. 

"Stay the night. You can sleep on the couch in the kitchen. Just keep him close. Bitties feel the energy of the soul, that might be his only chance," his voice wobbles as he says it. You know that Robert likes the little guy too. He leaves to help with the nightly feeding.

Anger hits next. How DARE that horrible lady hurt such a sweet bitty! How dare she bond with him and then hurt him! How dare HE think that she was the best for him, how dare he want her back!

How dare you get attached.

You clench your fists and grit your teeth as you breathe angerly through the tears. You want to hit something, you want to find her, you want to beat her.

You want... you want to hold him.

You gently scoop him up and position him against your chest. He's sticky and he smells unpleasant but you could care less. You want to protect him against everything. You'd punch a car to save him. 

Robert lets you know that the center is closing up for the night. You nod, barely hearing him. He guides you to the couch and leaves you with emergency numbers. By now, you're moving into depression.

You sob but no more tears come. Your throat hurts and your mouth is dry, but you don't care. All you think about is the small body laying on you. You put a hand over him and keep whispering promises and quiet pleads for him to live. You tell him about your apartment, and about how much he means to you. You tell him about your work and how they let bitties come to work with their owners. You run out of things to tell him to try and convince him to wake up so you just talk about anything. 

You talk about the walls. You talk about the stores you like. You talk about your ugly dumb couch. Finally, you fall silent and listen to his harsh breathing. You're exhausted. 

As you fall unconscious, acceptance hits you. You whisper one final thing to him, and you're asleep. You don't dream. Somehow that feels worse.

 

~~~~~

They said his momma would never come. He tried to not believe them, he tried really hard to believe the human that brought him the goodies, but the realization hit him hard. She was never coming back. His momma was never coming back.

The human did their best to keep him happy. He actually got a trombone! He was so happy... but it wasn't right. His momma wasn't with him.

He felt guilty for having fun without his momma. He should have been looking for her, not laughing and eating cupcakes. It was even worse when he started getting attached to the human. They were just so kind...

But his momma was never coming back and it HURT. It hurt so bad. He felt his soul squeeze painfully. He wanted to die.

It didn't take long for him to go unconscious after he decided he wanted to die. He was going to fall and then everything would be ok. The human would move on and his momma had already left him. It was over.

But even while he was close to death, he could still hear the human but not the words. For some reason, the human's pleading tone hurt more than the thought of his momma leaving him. 

He was torn. He should be dead already, but he could feel the human's soul. It begged, it pleaded. It was sad. 

And then the human talked again and he caught the words. His soul hurt.

"I just want you happy, no matter if that means I lose you... I love you...."

He had to choose. He had to make his decision before it was too late. The soul under him hummed with love.

He made his decision.


	5. A New Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No matter what Brassberry chooses, he will be happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo yo yo what is this?!!! Second upload??? Yeah so this story is DONE (well epilogue will be posted shortly here) I love this story to bits and this is the first story I've finished in a long time, but I am ready to move on.
> 
> Coming up: Boss and Edgy torture. ;) Cause I can't just make a happy fluffy story, I have to literally rip your hearts out of your chest and feast on the sorrow.

You wake up to a dry throat and confusion. You forget where you are for a few seconds and just lay there, stiff and dehydrated. Then you remember and mentally prepare yourself for what you might find. You look down.

Two dim eyelights look back at you. Your heart catches in your throat and you let out a quiet sob. He gives a forced grin and cuddles into your chest, closing his eyes. The emotions flood you and your quiet sobs turn loud. You put both hands on him gently and stroke his head and back as you cry, tears long gone.

"dumb..." you can barely hear him but as soon as you hear the quiet voice, you stop your sobs immediantly. "s'pose to be happy..." 

"I AM happy, that's why I'm crying, oh my god am I happy..." You lean down and give him a kiss on his head. You see his features change into another smile.

"Yeah... ya are..." he huffs out a sigh and turns his head enough to kiss your shirt. The motion almost pushes you into sobs again but instead you stand, holding him to your chest.

He opens his eyes and looks at you questioningly as you open the file cabinet in the front area. You pull out a piece of paper and set it on the table. Then you begin to fill it out.

"What..." He looks too tired to talk much, but the look says it all. You smile and sign your name.

"Adoption paper work. Robert still needs to sign his name and when he does, it'll be official. And then you're mine. I'm going to spoil you rotten. you'll be the biggest brat of a bitty to ever exist. You'll never go without. How's that sound?"

Now it's his turn to cry. He doesn't have much energy to make actual noises but big fat tears roll down his cheeks. 

"I just.. wanna be loved..." he whispers. You give him a gentle hug.

"Already done buddy, I already love you."

~~~~~~

Recovery is complicated for both of you. He heals faster when he's against your chest. You devise a sling out of a sweater. Your boss was kind enough to give you the time off to care for him, so you spend several days at home with him close to you.

Having the sling makes it easier to do things, but you're still emotional and scared he's still going to fall. He assures you that he's not because he's strong and soon he'll protect you, but you know he's scared too. When you put him down to take care of your own needs, he whimpers and curls up. You decide privacy is less important than his life. 

Bathroom breaks start off awkward for both of you. There's just something about a stream of urine that fills the silence horribly. Still, you can tell he appreciates the devotion, no matter how gross the idea of you peeing with him is. 

Showers are out of the question. You decide to use the bathtub for all your bodily cleaning needs. You put him down long enough to hurry and strip off your clothes. He weakly fights you as you take off his clothes, but gives up quickly due to lack of energy. His face turns bright teal as you clutch his naked body next to your naked chest and sink into the water. It takes him only five seconds to turn into a happy skeleton and melt into you. 

You watch every day as he gets stronger and the fear leaves you. He's going to be ok. You know he's feeling much better when you wake up to him by your face, kissing and nuzzling into your cheek. You giggle and scoop him up to attack him with your own gentle pecks. He squeaks in fear, but then quickly dissolves into his own giggles.

Not everything is nice and easy though. You still have to deal with his fear of screwing up. He accidentally knocks a plastic cup of water off the table one day and has a full blown panic attack. It takes you almost an hour to calm him down enough to be able to give him a kiss. 

He's terrified of touch when he does something he perceives as wrong, including crying. He refuses to go near closets. He doesn't speak up about his own needs. You decide to have daily talks with him where you sit him down and ask him about his day. 

At first he's confused about this but he opens up. Soon he slips in bits of his past in the little conversations. He tells you about everything eventually and you slowly work with him to help him realize that he's safe. You know you've made progress when he goes into a half open closet to grab you a bandaid when you cut yourself preparing dinner.

"Thanks baby!" You take it from him and wrap the cut. "Hey where'd you get this?" 

"In the hall closet where they are dumbass-"He goes silent. "Holy fuck I went into a closet." He falls back on his butt, eyes wide in shock at you.

You talk him through what he was feeling while you bake a cake to celebrate. Soon he's going in closets with no issue and you leave all doors open for him.

You're not perfect either. Some days you just have bad days. You snap at him sometimes. The fear that flashes across his face is enough to knock you out of your anger. You always apologize and explain to him that it wasn't his fault. You learn to keep your temper down and focus on your promises to him. 

You spoil him ROTTEN. When Christmas rolls around, you blow at least $300 on the little bugger. The tree is littered with adorable small boxes. He opens every box excitedly. Besides clothes, you got him all sorts of furniture and bitty activity sets. The second to last box is his favorite, and he nearly dies over the fully functional 4-wheeler (you were warned against motorcycles with Brassberries). You giggle as he jumps on and does circles around the tree.

You go to grab the last gift and notice it's addressed to you. "Brass, what's this?" You say, trying to hide the grin. He stops the 4-wheeler and looks down.

"I couldn't buy you anything, sorry it sucks so much..." He mutters, blushing. You open it and almost start crying.

Inside the box is a wooden necklace charm. It's a hand carved heart with an intricate Celtic knot design. The entire thing is painted a beautiful rich red and sealed in a shiny coat.

"Holy shit, Baby Boo did you make this?" His blush gets brighter and you pick him up. "You're amazing Brassberry, I really mean it."

You wear the charm proudly from that day on. He makes more and you encourage him by buying him proper tools and helping him cut wood down to size. Wood carving becomes another one of his many hobbies.

You try to spoil him with experiences too. You take him camping and to the park. He especially loves watching stars on the grass outside your apartment. You stay outside until he falls asleep and then carry him back inside.

Things aren't always great, but they are the best days of your life. You're so glad you stopped and picked his limp body up out of the alley that one day. Everything is so much better now that he's in your life.


	6. Epilogue - Momma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brass finally finds his momma.

He loves his new guardian. They're perfect in all their imperfect ways. Each day is like a dream.

The two of them are going shopping. He sits comfortably on his human's shoulder, playing with their hair. Then, he sees her. Part of his soul sings to the lost bond and for a moment, he is torn. 

But then his human cracks a joke about the clothes on the rack "hanging around" and he feels the urge disappear. He laughs and turns to hug against his human's neck. 

He finally found love. He doesn't need her anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you SO MUCH for the comments, kudos, and bookmarks on this. I originally posted chapter one on my Tumblr and due to some mental issues, couldn't continue it until now. Every one of you have kept me going. I wanted so badly to finish this and I have! I want to thank you again for dealing with my mental and physical health issues. I will be starting and posting my new story soon, so look forward to that. In the mean time, if you want hop over to Tumblr (username duckydotducky) and chat or say hello! That's also where you can follow my decline in health lol
> 
> Thank you!


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